One journalist called Ultrachorus “a peppy brew of electronica-infused alt-rock”. I hear the electronica-infused part, but alt-rock is definitely not something in Ultrachorus’ sound. Chris Heidman and Jeff Lorentzen are an unabashed pop duo in the disguise of an electronic group, but it’s a disguise that fits them perfectly. Imagine if Kanye West was serious in his love of pop, add to that 1980-era Paul McCartney (think McCartney II), throw in some Prince and Maxwell swagger and remove the sarcasm that other retro-electro groups try to enforce as their image, and you have Ultra-Def (So TM).
How to describe them without comparing them to others? Let’s see. In the last 30 years, when it comes to making music with non-traditional instruments, people have struggled with trying to find soul in the pulsating beats. Some will tell you that the music lacks heart, while others will say you’re hearing the origins of life, and within that the origins of soul and rhythm, its pulse. Well, that child people used to point their fingers at is grown and mature, and this is the sound of that maturity, witty music with a distant feel, at times bordering on disco (think Foxy) but always bordering on something before it falls into greatness. If Lindsey Buckingham was raised in another part of the world, he would make music as cool as this, and it’s not just the music that makes you move and approve, but it’s the songwriting. It’s not just about connecting the dots, Heidman and Lorentzen are explorers of pop and it just so happens they have the uniforms which have allowed them to explore on their own speed, on their own time. What they’ve pulled from the distance are sounds for today, and the ultra-def Ultra-Def will become mini-anthems for those who have waited for these sounds to arrive.
(Ultra-Def will be released on October 13th.)
This Is Book's Music 